" I agree with you hillbilly;
The Board of Education and JD Pabis displayed the utmost in arrogance and ignorance by placing the same budget up for a vote. This paper should take them to task. This Board was elected to represent the will of the people, and it doesn't matter if it was 3 people the budget lost by or if it were 3,000 people. The bottom line was the majority of the the people who VOTED said NO. Instead they called the voters stupid by implying they didn't know what they were voting on, they were confused.
However what is even more troubling is the new policy Stearns and Kent are trying to get through, they are trying to enact an internal policing policy giving the board to unseat a sitting board member for misconduct. If they succeed, you will never have a board member who will object with the majority. You will never have a board member that disagree with the standards of the board or the spending plans of the board. You will have a board that is of one voice and of one opinion. Much like Hitler had when he conquered Europe. He surrounded himself with loyalists, and had the Gestapo silence others that he called the opposition.
So much for Democracy here in America "

" So the voters of Auburn vote down the school budget by only a few votes. What does the school board do? They send the budget up for a revote with no changes. Tell me what would have happened if the budget passed by only a few votes? Would it be revoted on to make sure it was good enough to pass? I don't think so. So the only conclusion I can make from this action by the Auburn school board is that they don't hear very well. Maybe they will need to be defeated by a two to one margin before they get the message, "No more Taxes" cut the fat. Maybe the school executives can take a 30% pay cut like the workers at Magna took? I'm sure they all make more than $30 an hour. If private companies can't afford to pay the workers top dollar anymore, then maybe the tax payers can't afford to pay the top state, local and federal employee anymore either. This includes all politicians too. "

" Auburn School Budget Back to Voters

This is a mistake.
The school board has taken very little time to decide to put this budget up for a re-vote. The appearance this gives is the board is either out of touch or does not care about the message being sent to them. No concessions were made, no decreases put forth and here we go again. I believe the re-vote will be voted down by a much larger margin.
The board is underestimating voter apathy to tax increases and hiding behind inflation as a rationale for proceeding the way they have.
The message from voters is simple for anyone that cares to listen: “No more tax increases!”
The unfortunate conclusion to all this is that even when the budget is voted down a second time our taxes will still increase. The contingency budget still calls for a $2.5 million increase in spending while the budget that was just voted down called for a $3.1 million increase.
Now the mantra from the board will be, “You’re hurting the kids.” We are not the ones that put the budget together. The school board is hurting the kids by ignoring this chance to go back to the drawing board and present a budget that reflects taxpayer concerns.
What do you think?
"

" New York State Commission on Local Government Efficiency & Competitiveness

There's some interesting information at the following link regarding suggestions for creating better more efficient government.
http://www.nyslocalgov.org/report_page.asp
In my estimation, this is a good start and we need to make sure our public officials move this agenda forward.
Contact your elected representatives and talk about these suggestions and how they are moving these initiatives forward. "

" I'd like to see the fat really trimmed. For instance, free dental care and other things for certain students. Although I'm not sure if that specific example is in the budget or seperate state monies. "

" School Budgets go Down!

It is refreshing to see taxpayers voting against these overbloated school budgets.
Any tax increase is too much of an increase.
I would like to vote on a budget that includes a tax decrease.
Unfortunately the contingency budget is not much better as it still includes a tax increase. "

" Hey Andy B

The traffic seems to ebb and flow.
Also, while many read they don't always post.
I do appreciate your opinions... "

" Ho hum....am I the only one who enjoys this blog? "

" I agree about what you said concerning Mr. Palesh. If more people would just let the man do his job we would be a lot better off.

Although I think he shouldn't start pushing his particular religious values on our populace...ie, the Family Video issue and the music events downtown issue from last year. "

" Most of the domestic automakers fiscal woes come from horribly inefficient production methods and vehicle designs compared to the Japanese and allowing way too many concessions to the labor unions over the last 6 to 8 decades. "

" No Tax Increase in New City Budget

I must say…this is the right idea!
Mr. Palesh deserves our praise and accolades for accomplishing what other taxing authorities in this region just don’t seem to understand. The idea is simple: The citizens in this area cannot afford to pay more taxes.
I haven’t poured over the details of the city’s proposed 2008/2009 spending plan, and I understand the civil service commission isn’t pleased about losing a P/T secretary position. However a 0% tax increase is another rising achievement for a manager that arrived, took the bull by the horns and started managing the city.
That is after all what he was hired to do.
Perhaps the city could iron out a contract with the school district and county legislature for Mr. Palesh’s fiscal consultative services. If he could reign in the spending of these entities like he has the city’s there may finally be a reason to hope. "

" That sounds like a great idea Andy.
I watched a Discovery Channel program recently on the Manhattan Project and it is amazing what this country is capable of when it puts its mind to something.
A further thought about automakers...perhaps they should not be penalized for meeting consumer gas guzzling demand, but at this point they are. Their penalties are coming in the form of quarterly dips in profits. "

" I had a 5 paragraph response to your post but the website had a "fatal error", and lost my post.

So I'll do the Readers Digest version. I believe we need a "Manhattan Project" for energy independence.

This would concentrate on new technologies and processes to increase conservation, create more renewable energy, and increase domestic supply.

Part of that would be to ramp up clean coal production and increase domestic oil and natural gas production.

Should mpg standards be much higher? Yes. Should automakers be penalized for meeting the huge demand for gaz guzzlers? No. "

" oh boy, I want to dig into this I've just been busy. Never fear I'll have a comment or seven. "

" REPEAL THE GAS TAX?

What a crock!
Sure I wouldn't turn down a price drop of a few bucks each fill-up. However, there is a larger issue here that needs to be addressed. The price of oil and by extension fuel for our internal combustion engines on wheels is the problem. We as a people and a nation need to commit to energy independence. Not by drilling in the Alaskan wildlife preserve, not by hugging trees, but by designing vehicles with a more sustainable fuel that will not break the bank every time we fill the tank.
Our automakers continue to churn out 12 MPG guzzlers and wonder why profits are being squeezed. And it’s not like this hasn’t been a long time coming. Rising gas prices have been in the news for the better part of the past 5 years.
The response by our automakers is to close plants and reduce expenses. That certainly is not going to grow the franchise.
Here’s a novel idea: take some of the engineers and workers that you are about to put out of work and teach them to be inventors. Here’s an even better idea, have them design the next generation vehicle that is affordable to operate and does not rely on oil to move.
The one idea that has been embraced (Ethanol) could have us paying $10 per dozen for our summer corn cobs. So now, not only will we be hard pressed to fill our tank to get to the grocery store, but we can’t afford to buy the groceries either.
Is this for real? Can a country this brilliant really be this stupid?
What do you think?
I have more questions than answers on this topic, but I cannot for the life of me understand why we are not moving in a more positive direction. This is going to take hard work, commitment and sacrifice from all sides to find a resolution. I think we can all agree the sacrifice is already happening; now where’s the hard work and commitment? "

" Though I may vote yes because the other money will probaly go to another school if we don't take it. I just think the school board is pulling a real dirty trick by bundling this as they have. "

" I agree Mark. I would vote wholeheartedy yes on this project....even on the sports facility improvements. As long as the turf was not included. Not only for obvious fiscal reasons but as an ex high school soccer player and ex college football player (ya you read that right! lol) I believe outdoor sport should be played on natural turf. "

" School District Renovation Projects for $15.7 Million

I am hard-pressed to find a reasonable position on the proposed school district renovations though I am inclined to vote against the measure. What is your sense?
I am incensed that the school board has chosen to lump the turf vote in among some of these needed items. However, they made the choice to include it, so I say vote it down! They have heard from the public before that this is not an acceptable project for the district to take on.
I recognize the potential for public contribution (the individual donors that have come forward) and the limited cost to taxpayers.
I recognize the proposal includes installing the turf at the actual stadium our football team plays in.
I recognize the desire to have updated facilities and a place the community can be proud of.
However, the actual turf itself is causing problems in neighboring districts and some venues have removed turf in favor of good old-fashioned grass. Why is this debate still on the table? Does this portend how out of touch our school board is with their voting constituents?
What do you think? "

" silly rabbit, If you spent more time reading the posted comments and didn't write any, then we would not know how stupid your comments really are. "

" Oh yeah forgot, Tompkins also has TONS more services for its taxpayers than Cayuga Cow Town County does and WE STILL DONT NEED a County Manager office. You guys are being taken to the cleaners by your Legislators. They know you wont do anything about it though, cause your cow town mentality. Our Legislators KNOW better cause in Ithaca we dont stand by and watch our government we stand UP to ours and it works well! Go milk a cow while your Legislature milks you !! "

" 291K for a County Manager office?? HA HA you guys are getting taken! Im in Tompkins County, we have more $$ than Cayuga County and we dont have a need for an office such as this. Of course in Ithaca, if they tried to pull that one on the taxpayers, the picket lines would be so thick in front of the Office Building that nobody could get into work! I guess its true that the smaller cow town counties find many ways to waste money, what a joke!! "

" One way to save the County over a quarter of a million dollars a year is to hold the Legislature responsible to oversee the County, and the County Department heads. If this was done, and done correctly, we could abolish the County Manager's office which accounts for $291,242.00 a year to run. This office was not voted for by the taxpayers, it was apppointed by the Legislature. Of course they love it because now they have someone else doing thier jobs (that we elected and pay them for). This is the BIGGEST waste of OUR money in the entire budget. If your Legislator really wants to save taxpayers money, why did they appoint this WASTE of an expenditure on an entire office WE DO NOT NEED??? Legislators need to DO the job they were elected to, hold these department heads accountable, and all those darned committees they have in place and ditch the waste of County Manager and use the $291,242.00 for something taxpayers can actually use and NEED!! "

" My apologies in advance for such a long post, but this is the summary I received of the Syracuse edition of the NYSCPTR traveling meetings.
You can also watch the proceedings online at: www.cptr.state.ny.us

April 10, 2008

12:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Syracuse City Hall

All Commission Members and four Special Advisors were present at today’s Commission meeting held in the Syracuse City Council Chamber. Sixty audience members filled the Chamber, with some relegated to standing room only.

Bea González, President of the Syracuse City Council, led the Pledge of Allegiance and welcomed the Commission to the City Council Chamber.

After introducing the Commission members, Commission Chairman Tom Suozzi noted that Governor Paterson has made property tax relief a priority of his administration. Chairman Suozzi discussed the importance of wide-ranging testimony as the Commission develops recommendations to address the statewide property tax issues – while balancing the co-equal priority of maintaining quality schools. He said the Commission has traveled state-wide and has heard from a broad spectrum of interests, organizations and individuals.

Frank Mauro, Executive Director of the Fiscal Policy Institute (a research organization that focuses on tax, budget, and economic policy issues in New York State), presented his organization’s research and findings to the Commission. Among his recommendations was replacing the existing STAR Rebate Program with a “circuit breaker.” (Circuit breakers are employed in several states to provide property tax relief via income tax credits. Based on homeowners’ income, a certain percent of any property taxes paid over a percentage of owners’ income are credited back to the taxpayer via the income tax credit.)

William Duncombe, Professor of Public Administration at Syracuse University, testified to the Commission in regard to policy aspects of the STAR Program and some of the potential relief measures the Commission may consider. He advocated: 1) reforming STAR, 2) providing a circuit breaker for lower-income renters and homeowners, 3) increasing State Foundation Aid for Public Education, especially for high need school districts, and 4) including an override provision if a cap on property taxes was implemented.

Joseph Mareanne, Onondaga County Chief Fiscal Officer, delivered testimony on behalf of County Executive Joanne Mahoney. The testimony called for a State takeover of Medicaid, a cap on assessments for senior homeowners, and a review of public school financing and expenditures.

Syracuse Commissioner of Assessment John Gamage spoke on behalf of Mayor Matthew Driscoll and discussed STAR and other aspects of property tax administration.

Bill Meyer, Chairman of the Onondaga County Legislature, discussed the high property tax burden, and also recommended a State Medicaid takeover and mandate reform.

Additional local officials testifying included:

Dick Gladu, Hague Town Board Member
Thomas Seals, Syracuse City Councilman
Linda Yancey, Assessor for the Town of Forestport
Mike Masse, Fayetteville-Manlius School Board Member and Treasurer of the New York State School Boards Association, said that the 2008-09 State Budget (finalized the day before this Commission meeting) was “good news” for New York’s public schools, but did not sufficiently address inequities between high wealth and low wealth school districts.

Testifying with a similar message, Larry Cummings, Executive Director of the Central New York State School Board Association, discussed perceived inequities of the current Public School Aid methodology. He shared findings regarding “low wealth districts/high need school districts” compared to “high wealth/low needs districts” and cases where the latter have received larger State Aid increases than the former. He noted that a property tax cap would “widen the gap” between the low wealth and high wealth school districts. Rick Timbs, Executive Director of the Statewide School Finance Consortium, amplified on the testimony of Mr. Cummings.

Daniel Lowengard, Superintendent of the Syracuse City School District, called for a transition of school funding from the property tax to the income tax and suggested that, if even if mandates were removed, many school districts would continue to provide similar services.

Jessica Cohen, Superintendent of the Onondaga-Cortland-Madison BOCES, offered testimony about the efficiencies that BOCES had already demonstrated, and how much potential there was for more “functional consolidation”. She elaborated on a particularly fruitful effort by her BOCES to consolidate around the purchasing of energy – which she indicated had relevance statewide.

Larry Kiley, Executive Director of the Rural Schools Association of New York State, spoke about the particular constraints faced by his members, frequently very small and poor rural districts. He indicated that his members frequently were so strapped that they could only offer the barest minimum of state-mandated programs, and he urged the Commission to consider the impact that its recommendations would have on his districts.

Additional public school representatives testifying before the Commission today included:

C. Thomas Daly, Cooperative Organization for Public Education
Margaret Diehl, Parents for Public Schools
Randy Kerr, Newark Valley School Board Member
David Duerr, Executive Vice President of the Greater Syracuse Chamber of Commerce, offered the Chamber’s strong support for efforts to mitigate the property tax burden, and urged the Commission to consider the link between its efforts and economic development.

Mark Spadafore, Syracuse Alliance for a New Economy, also spoke to this issue.

Larry Hart, representing the Central New York Property Tax Alliance, noted that his organization is interested in “a total revision of this archaic, severely flawed system of taxation,” but advocated for immediate relief via the circuit breaker bill proposed by Senator Elizabeth Little and Assemblywoman Sandra Galef.

Further testimony was provided by Phil Dann representing the Central New York Property Tax Relief Association. Eight additional taxpayers testified, most discussing their property tax burdens and calling for property tax relief. "

" Turn our trash into money. Put in place a reasonable recycling program. All recyclables are picked up from one bin every week and sorted mechanically and by cheap labor at the landfill.

Next put in an anerobic digester and the new type of arc incinerator for everything else. Those two processes produce large amounts of methane and other sellable gasses, especially the latter process.

If all that is done we would never run out of space in our landfill and the whole process would at least break even if not make a profit. I'll have to find the recent Popular Science issue that I read about the new incinerators in. "

" What to Cut?

Taxes are too high, so spending needs to be reduced or we need to raise more revenues in a way that does not affect taxpayers. The primary source of revenue for the city of Auburn is trash and water. You can only fill so many landfills before we run out of room, so we sell more water? At what capacity can we sell water until it begins to threaten our own supply?
If you have ideas on how to raise money for the city or county please share them.

Now let’s press on to reducing expenses:
I am interested in knowing what everyone thinks should be cut from municipal budgets to reduce taxes.
Whenever expenses are reduced, taxpayers usually end up sacrificing something. Very often this compels a group of folks to espouse all the reasons why the spending should be restored. The end result is another dead end on tax reduction.

So how would you reduce taxes?
Many people have concrete ideas on how to make government spending more efficient. What are some of your ideas on reducing spending?
"

" Very true Brew. That is probaly another 200k that can be used to reduce our taxes a bit more. "

" Why only $30,000? Did you forget the value of the property if it is sold? "

" Any cut is a good cut here in Auburn. Our government and school taxes are horrendous. That is just one of many things that should be done. "

" The Frederick Street Fire Station closes in an effort to consolidate.

In my travels discussing consolidation issues relating to taxes; I have found this to be a necessary evil. Unfortunately if you are going to consolidate services you will inevitably end up sacrificing something.
The question as I see it: Is what you have lost as a taxpayer, worth what you realize in savings? Is $30K per year of savings, a substantial enough return to offset the closing of this station.
What's your sense?
I am pleased to see the government moving to consolidate, and I hope the upcoming "dramatic changes" will be as good for the community as the money it saves.
Perhaps this is part of a master plan that is yet to unfold. It should be interesting to see what comes next. "